Neighbors complain about pollution impact from Elon Musk’s supercomputer

The supercomputer known as Colossus, located in southern Memphis and one of the most powerful in the world, is a cause for concern among local residents and environmentalists, who warn that its gas turbines release tons of toxic pollutants that harm public health and cause overexploitation of the local aquifer.

Mary Rivera, who lives in a suburban area near this mega data center, acknowledges that she has felt the effects on her health since the project began operating in 2024.

According to environmentalists, gas turbines generate pollution.

Ruddy López, another resident of a trailer park, talks about how the installation of this data center would affect them through price increases.

Ruddy López acknowledges that they are concerned about environmental damage.

He admits that he moved there because it was cheap, but now that the supercomputer has been built, everything is going up.

Ana Flores, a resident of this surrounding area, says she is also concerned about the cost of living.

María Oceja, co-founder and organizer of Vecindarios 901, talks about the power plant and its effects.

She explains about this pollutant and the concern for the health of the Latino community.

Finally, she comments that this company is causing overexploitation of the local aquifer, and it should be noted that this region has the purest water in the country.

This report is part of the series “When the Creek Runs Dry,” funded in part by The Walton Family Foundation.